Struggling £470m F1 team are building ‘a cannon of an engine’ for 2026 season

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It may be 18 months until the start of the 2026 season, but preparations are already well underway. F1 teams have set to work on building their new-look power units.

While the sport will continue to race with V6 hybrids, the batteries will now be 10 to 15 kilograms heavier They will account for 50% of the car’s overall power output if all goes to plan.

Some of that weight – approximately four kilograms – will be saved by the removal of the MGU-H. F1 wants to make its cars lighter and smaller to improve racing, though Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle is sceptical.

Two new engine manufacturers will enter the fray for 2026, with Audi setting up their own operation as they acquire Sauber. The Swiss outfit have been racing with Ferrari engines since 2010, but Haas will now be the Scuderia’s only customer.

Elsewhere, Red Bull will build their powertrains, in partnership with Ford. Their existing partners Honda have struck a deal with Aston Martin.

Alpine could in turn replace Aston in the Mercedes pool and surrender their status as a works team. McLaren and Williams are concerned about this development, with Zak Brown contacting Red Bull over a potential deal.

Giedo van der Garde confident in Audi F1 engine

Speaking on De Race Show, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde talked up Audi’s engine programme ahead of 2026. He fully expects them to produce a ‘very good’ first attempt.

Despite their status within the motorsport world, Audi aren’t expecting to compete for titles until at least 2031. Van der Garde has hinted that this may be down to initial limitations with the chassis rather than the power unit.

They’re taking over a Sauber team who sit bottom of the constructors’ championship, having failed to score a single point. They’ve managed to sign Nico Hulkenberg from Haas and are still in the process of finding a teammate.

Hulkenberg is now 36 years old but Van der Garde is optimistic that they can give him podium-worthy machinery before he retires. The German famously holds the record for the most race starts (215) without a top-three finish.

“[Audi will have] a cannon of an engine,” Van der Garde said. “I don’t know about the car completely yet, but the engine will be very good. Hulkenberg will perform well there and that will at least ensure that he can be on the podium.”

Could Sergio Perez be Audi option instead of Carlos Sainz?

Audi’s early engine data may have been enough to persuade Hulkenberg, but they haven’t been able to attract their top target in Carlos Sainz. Sainz believes Mercedes will have the best power unit for F1’s new era.

Alongside the Spaniard, Esteban Ocon has also cancelled talks with the team. Martin Brundle expects him to join Haas following his Alpine exit.

It may seem as if Audi are running out of options, but the market could soon shift. Sergio Perez may become available if he loses his Red Bull seat.

One report claims Audi would see Perez as an ‘interesting’ candidate. While he’s endured a woeful run of late, he performed so well for Sauber at the start of his career that he attracted interest from top teams like McLaren.

The £470m team (Motorsport Magazine) may not be a particularly appealing destination for a Red Bull driver in the short term. But Perez is unlikely to receive many better offers given the reputational damage of recent races.